U.S. shale play will need additional pipeline capacity up to 500,000 bpd by the end of 2030 to ship soaring crude output to markets, Wood Mackenzie said in new research this week.

Midstream operators are set to add 4 million bpd of Permian-to-Gulf Coast pipeline capacity by the end of 2022.

By the mid-2030s, Permian-to-Gulf Coast pipeline utilisation will surpass 92% in the absence of further investment, necessitating pipeline expansions or greenfield capacity,” said John Coleman, principal analyst, North America crude markets at WoodMac.